EXPOSITION. Ver. 23.-Gathered them, i. e. themselves. \ Dagon their God. Dagon (from dag, a fish To rejoice. The Hebrew is for a festivity, in Hebrew), the national male god of the or mernJ-making, or feast There was to be Philistines, as Atergatis, or Derceto, was a great feast upon the sacrifices offered to their eoddess. Both the male nnd female THE BOOK OF JUDGES. [uH. XVI, 23-31.'
,-!i,inities seem to have had the head and feel, or, literally, and make me feel. Ha hreast and hauds human, and the rest of the adds his motive for making the request- body fish-shaped (see l Sam. v. 5). The that I me.y lean upon them-to rest himself fish was & natural emblem of fertility and after the severe exercise of dancing. productiveness, especially to a maritime Ver. 27.-Now the house was full, &c. people. 'l'he fish-shaped idol is found upon We do not know what was the construction old Phrenician coins, and also on the monu- of Philistine temples or houses ofamusement; ments of Khorsabad, and on some Assyrian but from the description here ~ven it seems gems in the British Museum. One of the that the interior was ranged like e.n amJ?hi- chief temples of Dagon was at Gaza. Several theatre, with seats for the lords and principal towns bore the name of Dagon, as Beth-dagon people, and with an open front, so as to in Judah (Josh. xv. 41) and in Asher (Josh. command a view of the stage just outside, :xix. 2i), Caphar-dagon near Diospolis, &c., and that front supported by pillars on which shorring that the worship of Dagon was wide- the beams of the roof, both the transverse spread. beam and the longitudinal ones running Yer. 24.-And when the people, &c. The into it, rested. The roof itself was fiat, people, as distinguished from the 'lords in the and had the weight of 3000 people upon preceding verse, to show how universally it, throwing a great strain upon the beams the capture of Samson was ascribed to which rested upon the pillars. The sudden Dagon. Rulers and people alike praised removal of the pillars would bring the Dagon. Saw him. Not on the occasion of roof down at that end, crowded as it was his being brought into the temple as men- with the people, and would inevitably drag tioned in ver. 25, but after his capture, and the whole mass in the same direction one whenever they saw him grinding or elsewhere. over another, while the swaying of the It was this universal ascription of praise to people would bring the whole roof down Dagon that led to the celebration of this upon the heads of those beneath, who would great feast. This praise of Dagon is also be crushed by the heavy timbers e.nd stones dwelt upon to show that God, in what hap- and bodies of men falling upon them. pened, vindicated the glory of his own great Ver. 28.-And Samson called unto the name, which was blasphemed by the servants Lord. This is the first mention we have of of Dagon when they thus made him superior Samson praying since the memorable occa- to Jehovah. So Milton makes Samson say, sion when he gave the fountain the name of "All the contest is now 'Twixt God and En-hakkoreh (eh. xv. 19, note). Perhaps we Dagon. . . . :He, be sure, will not connive may see in this an evidence that his affliction or linger, thus provoked, but will arise, and and shame had not been without their effect his great name assert." Generally, the in bringing him back to God humbled and ' Samson Agonistes ' is an excellent comment- penitent. The language is very earnest. " 0 ary on the history of Samson. Lord, Jehovah, remember me, ... strengthen Ver. 25.-When their hearts were merry. me only this once, 0 God I " The threefold They would not have acted so imprudently name by which he addresses the Almighty as to bring Samson out of his prison had not implies great tension of spirit. That I me.y their judgment been clouded with drink. be at once avenged. Meaning at one stroke That he may make us sport. And he me.de -he would take one vengeance so terrible them sport. The two verbs are not the thet it would be sufficient for his two eyes, same in Hebrew, but t'!iey have much the which makes very good sense if the Hebraw same meaning. It is not certain ,vhether will bear it. The literal translation would the idea conveyed is t1at of the A. V., that be, tho.t I may be avenged with a vengeance of Samson was brought there to be as it were one stroke. Others take it, that I may be baited by the populace, jeered and jested at, avengerl with a vengeance for one of my two reviled and reproached, perhaps struck or eyes, which it is not easy to understand the pelted; or whether the words do not simply meaning pf. mean to dance with music, which is certainly Ver. 29.-The two middle pillars. There the meaning of the latter verb (he made sport may have been, say, four pillars in the front ; before them, A. V. and margin) in I Sam. the two middle ones standing near together, xviii. 7 (played, A. V. ; see ver. 6); 2 Sam. and the other two nearer the sides. vi. 5, 21 ; I Chron. xiii. 8 ; xv. 29. They Ver. 30.-Let me die, or, my life shall 1et him between the pillars, i. e. when he perish with the Philistines. He knew it wus .had done dancing; because he must have certain death to himself, but he did not been dancing outside the house for the people shrink from it. His last act should be to on the roof to see him. destroy the oppressors of his country. So Ver. 26.-Suft'er me, or it may be ren- the dead whioh he slew, &c. The words dered, Let me rest. He pretended to be tired, sound like the snatch of some song or pro- aml asked to be allowed to rest a few minutes verb in which Samson's <lcath was described. irnd lean against the pillars. The.t I may Ver. 31.-His brothren, &c. Some infer CH. XVI. 23-31.] THE BOOK OF JUDGES. 175